Spindle Fire

By: Lexa Hillyer

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

“As the truths behind the faerie legends were revealed, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.”—Kendare Blake, author of New York Times bestselling novel Three Dark Crowns

“Absorbing. Poetic. Lexa Hillyer draws the walls between dreams and reality with shimmering grace and phrases of such beauty I had to read many of them twice.” —Jodi Lynn Anderson, author of Tiger Lily

“With its engaging heroines and delicious prose, Spindle Fire pulled me into a richly detailed world full of intrigue and magic.” —Amy Ewing, New York Times bestselling author of the Lone City trilogy

Half sisters Isabelle and Aurora are polar opposites: Isabelle is the king’s headstrong illegitimate daughter, whose sight was tithed by faeries; Aurora, beautiful and sheltered, was tithed her sense of touch and voice on the same day. Despite their differences, the sisters have always been extremely close.

And then everything changes, with a single drop of Aurora’s blood, a Faerie Queen who is preparing for war, a strange and enchanting dream realm—and a sleep so deep it cannot be broken.

Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo, Spindle Fire is a tour-de-force fantasy set in the dwindling, deliciously corrupt world of the fae and featuring two truly unforgettable heroines.

©2017 Lexa Hillyer (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

way better than I expected

loved this book and so excited that it's a series! reminded my a lot of the Lunar Chronicles

fiona

I am ticking off all the books that she narrate. I can't help it.she is so good.

Pretty unique and interesting

I didn't know what to expect from this one. I always love fairy tale retellings, but this one had a lot of really low reviews, so I was a bit dubious going in. A rather nontraditional telling of Sleeping Beauty, this one took a lot of different turns that I wasn't expecting. I really liked the relationship between Aurora and Izby. The world is well built and interesting and all the characters are interesting and well written. I was a little confused with the back story of Malfluer and Belcour (I listened to the audio book, so I have no idea how to spell their names), but I think that was largely my fault for not paying enough attention. I definitely want to read the sequel as this ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Not my favorite fairy tale retelling, but this one definitely had a lot of strong points.

Lovers of fairy tale romance rejoice!

This is a lovely fairy tale fantasy romance and adventure. I appreciate the nods to the original Sleeping Beauty story as well as the Disney version.

I had some confusion while reading this because I just finished An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson (see my review here) featuring a heroine named Isobel, and then Spindle Fire’s main characters are Princess Aurora and her half sister, Isabelle. I’m also reading a Regency romance called The Wicked Heir by Elizabeth Michels where the heroine’s name is (did you guess it?) Isabelle. So many Isabelle/Isobels!!

Spindle Fire is told in the present tense and focuses each chapter on a different character, typically either Aurora or Isabelle but also sometimes also one one of the various fairies that play a role in the overarching plot. It’s interesting because once Aurora and Isabelle go their own ways, each learns elements important to the overall storyline that the reader is able to piece together an understanding of the big picture, but Isabelle and Aurora are often given a puzzle piece that fits into her sister’s picture, rather than her own. It adds a depth of intrigue to the story that’s really interesting.

The rules that govern the behavior and magic of the fairies are great. The tithe paid in exchange for a gift bestowed really fits with the fairy compulsion for a trade or exchange - nothing is given or taken for free, it's always a trade. True, it's not always a good or fair trade, and tricksy fairies will twist things and trick you if given half a chance… But it makes sense that they don't just bestow blessings all willy-nilly like in the Disney movie.

I don’t want to say too much about the actual plot because there are some twists and turns (some that I saw coming, and some I didn’t) and I don’t want to ruin it. Suffice it to say that both women get their romance on in ways that made me giggle with glee. Also, prepare for some second-lead syndrome (Korean Drama fans know what I’m talking about!)

I listened to the audiobook version of Spindle Fire on audible. Fiona Hardingham does a great job narrating a very broad cast of characters. I especially love her interpretation of several of the animal voices - a certain white panther in particular. I also love her accent and wonder if this is her normal accent, and if so where on earth is she from that people sound like the Wildlings from Game of Thrones? I will definitely be pre-ordering the next book from Audible, and have my fingers crossed that Fiona is the narrator for that one as well.

Now my only question is: Is it April 2018 yet? Because I need the next book!! Which is titled Winter Fire, in case you were curious.

bewitching!!!!

a perfect story of love, sisterhood, and betrayal. isebee is amazing and captivating ! !